Gavin Newsom, A PUMA Comes Home

Are you following these exciting trackers of Congressional Republicans who voted against the stimulus bill but are now issuing press releases at home being like, "I brought home the bacon for you, my constituents"? Well, we've got a little of that going on here in SF, as Gavin Newsom races to tell the world that he is friends with Barack Obama!!!!!1! ZOMG!

Hmmm... was it so long ago that Gavin Newsom was busy telling anyone who would listen that Barack Obama was anti-gay, or storming out of the Democratic National Convention right after one of the party unity speeches? (no link, but we definitely saw him dragging Ms. Siebel-Newsom off the floor with his standard sullen face; we don't remember exactly which day but we think it was the day Barack Obama talked inside the convention hall. Hilariously, Newsom totally stormed off in front of a camera, and none of the anchors even bothered to identify him.) Remember when Newsom said Obama bore responsibility for Prop 8 passing? (and he'd know, as the "whether you like it or not" guy.) And now he's all like, "Barack Obama knows my name (pssst -- vote for me for governor)!!!" We have always been at war with Eastasia!

To be fair, Obama in the same speech also name-checked Oakland mayor Ron Dellums, who was himself pretty famously chilly towards the now-president, our Republican governor who called Obama a girly-man during the election season is now all trying to cuddle with Obama too, and we're sure the president himself would chastise this post as insufficiently putting petty partisan politics aside. That said, allow us to indulge in one last petty partisanship point, and note that Newsom got his shout-out from Obama for a health care plan that was actually put together by Tom Ammiano.